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BROWSE THROUGH THE ODIN PROJECTS

On this page, you will find an overview of the research projects funded by ODIN since ODIN began in 2020.

You can either browse by the projects' themes in the fold-out menu to right or you can look through the individual projects in the overview below. 

You are always welcome to contact the head of the projects, if you have any questions related to the individual projects.

On this page, you will find an overview of the research projects funded by ODIN since ODIN began in 2020.

You can browse through the individual projects in the overview below. 

You are always welcome to contact the head of the projects, if you have any questions related to the individual projects.


BALDER

- bayesian analysis of diabetes for enhanced biomarker and drug target identification

Disease

Type 2 Diabetes

Aim

Develop a novel statistical software package that can help researchers identify new biomarkers and drug targets using already existing genomic data from Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients.

Approach

The BALDER team used a mathematical approach known as Multi-Trait Bayesian Linear Regression to developa software package, where the user can input genes of interest and select different filters based on interest. The BALDER software package helps the user interpret existing data and see new connections - also new biomarkers and drug targets.

In the BALDER project, the team has taken advantage of the vast amount of genetic data from Tyep 2 Diabetes Mellitus patients that is already out there. These data has been used as a case study to demonstrate the usefulness of the software package. However, researchers can use the software for basically any disease of interest.

Project period

2021-2023 (ODIN pilot project)

Academic partners

  • Peter Sørensen, Senior Scientist, Aarhus University
    • Head of BALDER
    • Statistical models and genetics
  • Mads Fuglsang Kjølby, Assistant Professor, Aarhus University (Hospital)
    • Diabetes

Industry partners

  • Novo Nordisk

BIOMETSCO

- Identification of novel biomarkers and drug dargets for the detection and elimination of occult metastases in colon cancer

Disease

Colon cancer

Aim

To understand the process of metastasis in colon cancer and thereby identify new biomarkers and potential drug targets.

Approach

The BIOMETSCO team investigates tumor tissue samples from colon cancer patients - with a special interest in the invasive tumor front. First, an overall "bulk" analysis is performed to compare two different tissue samples (e.g. healthy vs disease) and identify genes of interest. The second step is spatial transcriptomics to find out which cells express the genes of interst and where these cells are located in the tissue. Lastly, the metastasis-related genes are analyzed in knockdown experiments.

This approach can in principle be applied to many other disease areas.

Project period

2021-2023 (ODIN pilot project)

Academic partners

Lasse Sommer Kristensen, Associate Professor, Aarhus University

  • Head of BIOMETSCO
  • Cancer epigenetics and RNA biology

Henrik Hager, Clinical Associate Professor, Aarhus University (Hospital)

  • Gene expression and cell/stroma interactions in cancer

Industry partners

  • BioXpedia
  • omiics
  • NanoString Technologies
  • AstraZeneca

BioPsych

- identification of biomarkers in the human psychiatric brain – focusing on non-coding RNAs and sex differences

Disease

Psychiatric disorders

Aim

To find biomarkers for different psychiatric disorders that can help clinicians diagnose patients and find the most effective individual treatment – and potentially also develop patient-specific treatments.

Approach

In the BioPsych project, the reasearch team used small brain fragments from the Danish Brain Collection, Risskov to identify sex-specific RNA biomarkers for different psychiatric disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The brain samples were collected from psychiatric patients in Denmark between 1945-1982 and the patients have not been treated with the modern medicines used today. Therefore, the BioPsych team were able to compare the "natural state" of brains between different psychiatric disorders. This allowed the team to look for biomarkers that can distinguish between the different psychiatric disorders.

Project period

2021-2023 (ODIN pilot project)

Academic partners

Betina Elfving, Associate Professor, Aarhus University

  • Head of BioPsych
  • Psychiatric disorders and biomarker discovery

Jørgen Kjems, Professor, Aarhus University

  • Biomarker discovery of non-coding RNAs

Lasse Sommer Kristensen, Associate Professor, Aarhus University

  • Non-coding RNA expression

Dirk Bender, Head of radiochemistry, Aarhus University Hospital

  • Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging

Industry partners

  • Bioneer
  • omiics

CELPPLUS

- Advanced 2D CELL culture for improved Phenotype assays

Disease

Skin diseases

Aim

To better mimic the in vivo environment of cells in cell culture assays to obtain in vitro experimental results that translate better to a human setting.

Approach

The CELPPLUS team has developed a method for better mimicking the natural environment in cell culture assays by using nanotechnological strategies: Proteins from the cells' natural surroundings were placed in a nanopattern on glass plates as the bottom of the traditional cell culture wells. By mimicking the in vivo environment, the cells can behave more similarly to how they would behave in the human body.

The CELPPLUS project used keratinocytes as a case study, but the methods of mimicking the natural surroundings of cells can be used for basically all cell lines that are studied in the lab.

Project period

2022-2023 (ODIN pilot project)

Academic partners

Duncan Sutherland, Professor, Aarhus University

  • Head of CELPPLUS
  • Nanotechnology with focus on surfaces

Claus Johansen, Professor, Aarhus University (Hospital)

  • Skin diseases

Industry partner

  • LEO Pharma

FRIGG

- fresh human kidney tissue: exploring biomarkers and intervention targets in CKD

Disease

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Aim

To develop a model system, which better reflects human chronic kidney disease.

The FRIGG model system can serve as a platform for identification of potential biomarkers and also  as an important step in identifying drug targets and testing potential drug candidates.

Approach

The large interdisciplinary FRIGG project team used fresh human kidney slices to establish a platform, which models the different stages of human chronic kidney disease (CKD). Fresh biopsies from both healthy and CKD patients were delivered directly from the operation theater to the research lab. The biopsies were then cut into thin slices and placed in different culture media to induce the distinct phenotypes of kidney tissue observed at different disease stages. The slices can be analyzed by e.g., standard histological methods and spatial transcriptomics.

Project period

2021-2023 (ODIN pilot project)

Academic partners

Lene Niemann Nejsum, Professor, Aarhus University

  • Head of FRIGG (shared)
  • Renal physiology, pathophysiology and imaging

Rikke Nørregaard, Professor, Aarhus University

  • Head of FRIGG (shared)
  • Animal models - including unilateral ureteral obstruction as a CKD model

Lin Lin, Associate Professor, Aarhus University

  • Spatial transcriptomics and bioinformatics

Jørgen Kjems, Professor, Aarhus University

  • Biomarker discovery

Industry partners

  • AstraZeneca
  • Nordic Bioscience
  • Novo Nordisk

IMPAD

- Immune-related biomarkers and targets in Parkinson's disease

Disease

Parkinson's disease

Aim

To identify immune-related biomarkers in the blood of people with Parkinson's disease that will enable clinicians to easily diagnose and stratify and follow patients based on their presence. The IMPAD project also aimed to identify novel targets for immunomodulation that can be used for treating the disease.

Approach

The IMPAD team used blood samples from both healthy controls and well-characterized people with Parkinson’s disease to identify changes in the immune system at different disease stages and subtypes. The blood samples were subjected to both cellular and protein  analyses. In this way, the IMPAD team could both show how the neruons are at different stages of Parkinson's disease, and identify blood biomarkers that are only present during disease or at specific stages of the disease. Taken together, the IMPAD team can show how the prescence of blood biomarkers evolves in association with the neuronal changes.

Project period

2021-2023 (ODIN pilot project)

Academic partners

Marina Romero-Ramos, Professor, Aarhus University

  • Head of IMPAD
  • Expert on the neuroinflammatory process in Parkinson's disease

Jørgen Kjems, Professor, Aarhus University 

  • Biomarker discovery

Per Borghammer, Clinical Professor, Aarhus University

  • Clinical experience with Parkinson's disease

Industry partners

  • H. Lundbeck

KidDO

- open discovery of metabolic targets for therapeutic intervention in kidney disease

Disease

Chronic kidney disease

Aim

To identify metabolites that can predict progression of CKD - and to determine if an interplay between metabolites and proteins within the kidneys drive CKD progression.

Approach

The KidDO project focused on changes in metabolites in the kidney during chronic kidney disease. The team used different omiics strategies to identify metabolites and proteins that were altered at different stages of CKD, and to see how they interacted and affected the progression of the disease.

The KidDO team also evaluated five different animal models and compared them to human samples using machine learning strategies, with the hope of identifying which model system most closely resembles the human disease

Project period

2021-2023 (ODIN pilot project)

Academic partners

  • Robert Fenton, Professor, Aarhus University
    • Head of KidDO
    • Kidney disease and metabolites
  • Ira Assent, Professor, Aarhus University 
    • Machine learning and data analysis
  • Markus Rinschen, Associate Professor, Aarhus University
    • Kidney disease, metabolomics and proteomics 
  • Ken Howard, Associate Professor, Aarhus University
    • Drug delivery

Industry partners

  • AstraZeneca

MiCO Platform

- a human stem cell-based miniaturised controlled organoid (MiCO) platform for investigating neurological disorders

Diseases

Neurological disorders

Aim

To develop a high throughput and reproducible human organoid platform, which can be used to investigate mechanisms related to neurological disorders and for the validation of new drugs.

Approach

The MiCO Platform team uses human induced pluripotent stem cells to develop micro brains.The micro brains, which are microscopic models of either the human fore-, mid- or hindbrain, can be generated from any patient cell sample and they are both fast and easy to produce and their small size and high reproducibility makes them ideal for drug candidate screening.

Project period

2021-2023 (ODIN pilot project)

Academic partners

Mark Denham, Associate Professor, Aarhus University

  • Head of the MiCO Platform project
  • Organoids and human induced pluripotent stem cells

Daniel Otzen, Professor, Aarhus University 

  • Drug compund testing

Industry partners

  • Novo Nordisk
  • omiics

oLIVER

- identifying biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment evaluation of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Disease

Liver disease (NAFLD/NASH)

Aim

To identify blood biomarkers in patients suffering from MASH. The biomarkers can potentially help diagnose patients, predict disease development and to monitor treatment responses.

Approach

The oLIVER project team is using an approach called APTASHAPE. By mixing a blood sample millions of small RNA biosensors, the team can generate a digital 'picture' of the blood sample's composition. By 'taking pictures' of different blood samples, the APTASHAPE approach can help researchers find out, which molecular changes are taking place during disease.

Project period

2020-2023 (ODIN pilot project)

Academic partners

Industry partners

  • Novo Nordisk

P2P CPP

- optimization of cell-penetrating peptides to enable therapeutics with intracellular targets

Disease

Cancer

Aim

To increase the understanding of the physiological effects of cell penetrating proteins (CPPs) and thereby eventually enable intracellular drug delivery using CPPs.

Approach

The P2P CPP team set-up an interative approach for testing CCP-drugs. First the CPP-drug’s effects were analyzed in electrophysiological and vasodilation assays. Here, the P2P CPP team analyzed ion currents and contractility arteries from both rodents and humans. As a last step, the observed effects of the CCP-drugs were compared to the in vivo effect in mice.

Project period

2021-2023 (ODIN pilot project)

Academic partners

Hanne Poulsen, Associate Professor, Aarhus University

  • Head of P2P CPP
  • Electrophysiology, effects of ion currents in oocytes, microscopy and  flow cytometry

Ulf Simonsen, Professor, Aarhus University 

  • Pharmacology, vascular effects of therapeutics, distribution of drugs and in vivo effects in mice

Daniel Otzen, Professor, Aarhus University

  • Biophysical characterisation of peptides, circular dichroism, vesicular effects

Industry partner

  • STipe Therapeutics

THOR

- targeting smooth muscle cells for atherosclerosis therapy

Disease

Atherosclerosis

Aim

To find new drug targets in relation to smooth muscle cells for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

Approach

The THOR project team started out by identifying human genes linked to atherosclerosis before they filtered out the genes that were related to cholesterol. From this list, the genes that were expressed predominantly in smooth muscle cells were selected for knockdown studies in cell culture assays with smooth muscle cells steered into atherosclerosis-relevant phenotypes.

Project period

2021-2023 (ODIN pilot project)

Academic partners

  • Jacob Fog Bentzon, Professor, Aarhus University
    • Head of THOR
    • Atherosclerosis and smooth muscle cells
  • Mette Nyegaard, Aalborg University
    • Human genetics and genomics

Industry partner

  • Novo Nordisk

ABOUT ODIN

We unite right minds from industry and academia so that they can jointly create need-driven research projects - and pave the way for innovative new treatments in the future. Through competitive funding calls, we fund the best projects ideas. Although companies cannot receive funding, it is free of charge to join.

The 5-year platform is sponsored by the Novo Nordisk Foundation with 180 M DKK from 2024-2028.

CONTACT ODIN

You are always welcome to reach out if you have questions or comments. Reach out to odin@au.dk or find the Secretariat's direct email addresses under contacts.

Although we're spanning five Danish universities, we're based in Aarhus. Our office is located at Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 121, blg 1521-216.